Greenspring retirement community has planned several activities for National Physical Fitness and Sports Month in May including a yoga alignment clinic and a nature walk near Accotink Creek, which runs adjacent to Greenspring’s campus. Greenspring residents are known stewards of campaigns promoting a healthier lifestyle, as is evident through their partnership with the National Institute on Aging’s Go4Life® campaign. Greenspring held the first ever Go4Life®campaign event at the campus in Springfield in November 2011.

Regardless of your how well you are doing at work, how your personal and professional relationships are going, and how much money you have, everyone benefits by increasing their resilience.

Think of resilience as a continuum. It is not an either-or trait. No matter where you are on the continuum today, you can always increase your ability to rise to challenges. Knowing that resilience is under your control is huge…especially when you realize how many things are not! This is where our self-talk, our internal chatter comes into play. We have to learn how to listen to our thoughts. They can steer us through the havoc that life often brings.

Are you having a rough time right now in a relationship, life in general, a career transition or are you facing health issues?

Try these two steps to begin to build your resilience by shifting your thinking style. Remember you control your thoughts, they don’t control you…unless you let them!!

America is a country that loves its tomatoes. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not only do we produce around $2 billion worth of tomatoes per year, making us the second largest tomato producing country in the world, but tomatoes are also the 4th most popularly eaten produced vegetable in the country (although technically it’s a fruit). There are a lot of health and taste reasons to use tomatoes; it’s just a matter of knowing which ones to use, and when.

“Tomatoes are the first major garden item to ripen,” explains Chef Scott Jenkins, the chef of Arlington-based Extra Virgin restaurant. “Tomatoes are so versatile and flavorful, the possibilities seem endless. It is truly the work horse of an Italian kitchen, from soups and salads to sauces and main entree features.”

America is a country that has an obesity problem, and most people are aware of this. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of the adult population, and 17 percent of minors, are considered to be obese. The average individual across the nation struggles with food issues to some degree or another, but many may find it surprising that those who work in the food industry, such as chefs, have an even tougher time.

“I am passionate about what I do for a living, but I must admit that it can be a real challenge,” explains Chef Scott Jenkins, the executive chef at Arlington-based Extra Virgin restaurant. “Being around all the food all the time makes me want to enjoy it, yet I need to balance that with the need to be healthy and watch how much I eat.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is a major issue facing the people of America today. In fact, they report that around a third of all adults and 17 percent of all children are considered to be obese. One thing that most people have in common is that we snack throughout the day and, without our realizing it, those snack choices can do a lot to help or hinder our weight loss and wellness efforts. In fact, it’s important to keep in mind that not all snacks are created equal, and it’s crucial that people opt for healthy ones.

“Research shows that snacking makes up around 27 percent of a child’s daily calories,” explains Dan Negroni, the chief executive officer and president of Fresh Healthy Vending (www.freshvending.com). “This means that it is crucial that we teach children to opt for healthy snacks. And that starts by us adults modeling healthy snacking behavior.”

The trees are budding and blooming, weeds are sprouting and bugs are emerging, including insects that affect our pets such as fleas, ticks and mosquitoes that can transmit heartworm.

One of the advantages of a cold winter is that insects that affect our pets die off in great numbers in frigid temperatures. The warm weather coupled with high moisture has created an early season for bugs, and as they multiply over the coming weeks and months pet owners should take heed and take advantage of preventative measures to keep their pets healthy. Many veterinarians are recommending that these preventatives be started as soon as possible, if you do not use them year round.

Scientific study after scientific study has confirmed, absolutely, that our brains are much more attracted to negative images and thoughts. The brain typically detects negative information faster than positive information. Our brains actually have a negative bias. We now know that you can rewire your brain to think and act in ways that lead to greater success and happiness. This is good information to have because it allows us to be aware and then to shift it towards the positive.

For example, once you are aware that you are harboring negative thoughts think of yourself walking down a path that has a fork…the right path is taking you towards more negative. So what you need to do is as soon as you become aware, stop and turn around, and then go on the left path.